They?

How many women had they done this to?

The world had been a vibrant adventure before. Now, it was a cesspool of criminals.

The man behind me came to my side, hemming me against the wall. They placed themselves strategically to block my exit. The shadows kept most of their features hidden, but one wore a baseball hat with a red logo, and the other dressed in a white jacket with the Adidas logo on the front pocket. They were the same height (about a foot taller than me) and both had dirty teeth as they smiled matching evil grins.

The one who’d been behind me in his Adidas jacket pointed at my neck. “First, let’s focus on the jewelry, shall we? Give me that necklace.”

I gulped. “What?”

The one in the baseball cap wagged his finger. “No talking. Do what we say, or you’re fucked.”

I flinched as he once again fisted the hard length visible in his pants. “First, we get what we want, and then you get what you want.”

What I want?

My lips curled in disgust.

What I want is for you to drop dead in agony.

His accomplice chuckled. “What you want is a cock, stuck-up bitch. You can’t deny it. Well, it’s your lucky night. You’ll get two soon enough. Now, hand over that fucking necklace.”

“Please...” I clamped my hand over the sapphire star that I’d only had since breakfast but already meant so much. “Don’t—”

“Breaking all the rules, aren’t cha?” A fist came out of nowhere, crashing against my temple.

Bright pain detonated through my skull, forcing me back and sideways against the wall. I couldn’t see past flashing lights. I couldn’t hear through the ringing in my head. But it didn’t stop one of them from grabbing the chain around my neck and yanking hard enough to break. The white-gold sliced into my nape before giving way, making me cry out in pain.

A hand landed on my breast, squeezing hard while a foot kicked my legs open and fingers grabbed between my thighs.

I moaned again, shaking my head to rid the receding punch. “No...stop.”

A hand smashed over my mouth. “Shut the fuck up.”

My vision slowly came back as Adidas dug his hands into my jacket and pulled out my purse. He counted the bills while Baseball Cap kept me gagged and pressed half-standing, half-slouching against the wall. “Eighty bucks? Seriously, that’s all you have?” His sneer was accompanied by gross breath. “We’ll just have to get it out of you in other ways.”

Digging his hand into my back jeans pocket, he pulled out my Belle Elle identification card. The flash of my portrait in a crisp black blazer and my blonde hair artfully coiled reminded me how far I’d fallen from my queendom.

If they killed me, my father would never know what happened. There would be no way to I.D my body or any explanation of how I ended up in an alley on my nineteenth birthday and not safe at home with him.

I hated how selfish I’d been.

How stupid.

If I survived this, I would never bemoan my life again. I would never take my company for granted. I would live an existence of utter gratefulness.

“Noelle Charlston. Looks like you have a cushy office job.” Baseball Cap smirked. “Bet you use that nice ass just for sitting rather than anything else.” He leaned into me, pressing his erection against my hip. “Ever been fucked over your desk, office girl? Ever given a boss a blowjob for a promotion?” He thrust hard. “I like the thought of you giving me a blowjob.” He nodded at his friend. “Get her on her knees.”

I scrunched up my face as I screamed internally.

I’d gone through school without boyfriends of any kind. I’d stolen a single kiss on the dance floor of my high school prom, but it hadn’t included tongue. No boys had braved my father to ask me out. I was light years ahead in experience of managing and running a company, but so ill taught when it came to sex.

Blowjob?

No way did I want to do that. I had no idea how. And the idea of sucking on that part of a man made me want to vomit on my dirty sneakers.

But what I wanted no longer mattered.

My knees screamed as they pushed me to the ground.

I daren’t look up.

Baseball Cap ducked with me.

Sitting on his haunches, he smirked. “Before we show you ours, you have to show us yours.” Before I could argue or move, he ripped off my bomber jacket and tossed it into the darkness behind him. He tore at the off-the-shoulder t-shirt until it hung in tatters, revealing my black bra.

“Let’s see what your tits are like.”

Everything shut down as his hand moved forward to cup me.

I turned inward.

I tried to delete what was about to happen.

Only, he never connected.

A blur in the dark materialized like a phantom.

A man’s grunting erupted.

Adidas fell backward, yanked by an unseen force. Baseball Cap whirled around, his fists up, ready to fight. “Who the fuck is there?”

Adidas groaned as a shadow connected with his stomach then with his jaw. I blinked in disbelief as the apparition stepped into the light, revealing another man with a black hoodie over his head.

He didn’t introduce himself.

He twirled around and kicked Adidas in the chest, sending him careening to the dirty ground.

The new guy turned and locked eyes on me. Beneath the gloom of his hoodie, his intense gaze tangled me into knots. For a split second, my heart kick-started from fear to relief then sank back into terror.

First, there were two.